A MESSAGE FROM JENNIFER DOWD

Chair, Foundation Board of Trustees

NEWS FROM 22nd STREET

A Testimonial from Jessica Grande, Teacher's Assistant (3rd Grade)

Dear Epiphany Parents,

I am excited to be back at The Epiphany School after 6 years and look forward to an amazing school year! I am working in the third grade with Miss Breen. It has only been a couple of weeks but I truly love and enjoy working at Epiphany. All the teachers, staff, and administrators are welcoming, caring and loving. This is one of the reasons why I wanted to come back to Epiphany after graduating college. So, let's go back a few years where it all started...

As a high school student, I was required to complete two years of internship. Since I was part of the Teaching and Health Professions program at Washington Irving High School, I completed my first internship at Sleepy Hollow Preschool and then I completed my second internship at The Epiphany Early Childhood Center. Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to become a teacher, it has always been my dream. When I joined the Epiphany team in 2012, I was excited and eager to begin working. I was placed in the Nursery room, where I worked with Mrs. Crimmins, Mrs. Liotti and Ms. McCleskey. I truly enjoyed and gained an amazing experience working with all the students and teachers.

After graduating high school, I pursued my studies in childhood education at St. Joseph's College. I gained a lot of experience during fieldwork, and student teaching. I received my Bachelor's Degree in May 2018 in Early Childhood/Childhood General and Special Education and a minor in Mathematics, and immediately applied to be a Teacher's Assistant here at Epiphany. In addition to my time spent here during the day, I have enrolled in St. Joseph's College and am working towards my Masters in Literacy and Cognition in the evenings.

I am looking forward to continuing to work with all the students, teachers, staff and parents! We have an exciting year ahead.

Sincerely, 

Jessica Grande

Teacher's Assistant 

Lower School (3rd Grade)

NE WS FROM 22ND STREET

An Update on Our Science Program from Liam Klotzbach, Teacher's Assistant (3rd Grade)

Dear Epiphany Families,

Thus far we have learned a lot! We studied chemical reactions vis-à-vis baking soda and vinegar, aerodynamics through paper plane creation, the strength of architectural arches, relationships between predators and prey, and most recently the harmful effects of exorbitant amounts of sugar. There are many more fun labs planned in the coming months so please prepare for eager children getting you involved in DIY at-home experiments. As Bill Nye said, "If you want grown-ups to recycle, just tell their kids the importance of recycling, and they'll be all over it." We will definitely be covering recycling in the year to come, but I think you will soon realize that Nye's statement relates to the vast majority of scientific subjects. 

All the best,

Liam Klotzbach

Teacher's Assistant

Lower School (3rd Grade)

NEWS FROM 28TH STREET - UPPER SCHOOL

Upper School Spotlight on Christina Sahr, Art (Grades 1-8) 

BY KIERNAN LAGUARDIA, VICE PRINCIPAL

Dear Epiphany Families,

Walking the halls of the Upper School, one can not help but take notice of the amazing artwork that is prominently displayed on various bulletin boards throughout the building.  Currently on display are chalk and oil pastel sunsets inspired by the artist Ted Harrison, which were created by our sixth graders, as well as the fourth graders' abstract trees, which were inspired by Eloise Renouf, just to name a few. These extraordinary works not only demonstrate the tremendous artistic talent we have at Epiphany, but they also help to create an environment where art is celebrated and valued. All of this artistic expression is made possible by our very own Christina Sahr.

Growing up on Eastern Long Island and being surrounded by a stunning landscape and beautiful natural light, Ms Sahr was drawn to the visual arts at a young age.  With encouragement from her teachers to develop her skills and find her creative voice, Ms. Sahr went on to receive a B.A. in Art History/Studio Art from Furman University. After some graduate work in Museum Education at George Washington University, Ms. Sahr went on to work as a curator in the Art and Archeology Department at both Princeton University and the Parsons School of Design.  While raising her son and daughter, Ms. Sahr volunteered countless hours chairing the Arts-in-Education committees at their schools and taught private art classes in the community. It was through these experiences that she found her true passion, which is working with, nurturing and being inspired by children in creative environments.  Ms. Sahr was truly struck by the pure love and enthusiasm children bring to the creative process. As a result, Ms. Sahr became the art teacher for various after-school programs throughout New York City and the full time art teacher at a school on Long Island before joining the faculty of The Epiphany School, where she has designed and implemented a curriculum that is both imaginative and stimulating.

In creating the curriculum, Ms. Sahr is always adding to her extensive file of interesting art project ideas.  She sorts the ideas by grade level and by medium. Then, Ms. Sahr examines what each grade focuses on in their core subjects so that the art curriculum is aligned with the curriculum of other subjects, such as English language arts, social studies, math.  Ms. Sahr also aims to incorporate Art History into the curriculum by choosing ten to twenty famous artists to introduce to the students throughout the school year to serve as a source of inspiration! This year, Ms. Sahr is excited to be adding architecture to the curriculum, specifically Frank Lloyd Wright, with a trip to The Guggenheim.

Of course the most important aspects of Ms. Sahr's art curriculum extend far beyond paint, clay or pastels.  She constantly reminds her students that creating works of art is all about experimentation and problem solving, which connects to all other subjects.  Ms. Sahr encourages the students to take their time, enjoy the process and be proud of the body of work they create by the end of the year.

Ms. Sahr loves teaching at Epiphany and says her students inspire her every day with their insights, talent and humor. She is very grateful for the welcome she has received from The Epiphany community and looks forward to many years of fun and creativity.  

Sincerely, 

NEWS FROM 29TH STREET - EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER

ECC Updates from Kathleen O'Connell, Early Childhood Administrator  

Dear Epiphany Families,

Fall is in the air at Epiphany's Early Childhood Center! As the air gets cooler, we can hear the happy sounds of our young students as they continue to adjust and get comfortable being back to school. We welcome the new class of Toddler Two's as they say goodbye to mom and dad and start their own independent adventures. We would also like to welcome our new Nursery assistant, Ms. Nancy Joyce, and our new security guard, Mr. Eliel Gomez, to our Epiphany family. 

Toddler Twos 

The happy sounds and smiles in Toddler Two's have now replaced the initial separation worries between students and their parents. The children love their new classrooms filled with singing and dancing. The TT's have been working hard on an Animal Theme, creating different animal artwork such as sheep, cows and chicks. The students in TT's are excited for the Rag-a-Muffin Halloween parade, which is held at the 22nd. St. Campus on Wednesday, October 31st! We can't wait to see their costumes. 

Nursery 

Our Nursery students have been quite busy this fall as well! They are working on their themes of: Leaves, Apples, Pumpkins and Halloween. In math, the students are learning about graphs and are having a great time graphing types of apples. In reading they have ben focusing on the letters: L, P, G, and H. The nursery students loved making "puffy paint ghost" and creepy Halloween spiders. Come visit and you can hear them singing silly Halloween songs!  

In Pre-Kindergarten, the students are starting the year off with three important themes: Transportation, Fall, and Halloween. In math, the students are sorting and classifying leaves as well as learning the numbers 0 to 3. In English Language Arts, the children are focusing on letters A to D. Our budding little scientists are learning the parts of a pumpkin and how they grow. The Pre-K has made a beautiful Transportation Collage filled of pictures they brought in from home of buses, taxis, cars, trains and more! Most importantly, the Pre-K kids are gearing up for Halloween and the big parade! 

All the grades in the Early Childhood Center were treated to a visit from the "The Art Farm". The students were able to see and gently touch various animals such as a bird, a turtle and a lizard. This in school "field trip" was a wonderful treat allowing the students to use their scientific minds and ask questions! We had a blast! 

Finally, we look forward to seeing everyone at the Rag-a-Muffin Halloween Parade on 22nd St on Wednesday, October 31st! Wishing you a Happy Halloween and so happy we are off to a great start this Fall!

NEWS FROM 29TH STREET - EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER

Connections Spotlight: Q & A with Megan Grant, Toddler Two's Teacher

BY KATHLEEN O'CONNELL, ECC ADMINISTRATOR

I had the pleasure of interviewing Megan Grant for this first edition of Connections. Mrs. Grant has been part of the Epiphany Family for 13 years. She is originally from Crestwood, NY, then Connecticut where she attended Catholic school with her 7 siblings. Mrs. Grant has worn many hats at the Epiphany school. Throughout her time at Epiphany, Mrs. Grant has taught in K, 1st, and 2nd grades and is the After-school Administrator. Her latest accomplishment was setting up the Toddler Two's Program at the Epiphany School, which she currently runs. Mrs. Grant and her husband, Michael, have two daughters, Molly and Ryan, who graduated from the Epiphany School in 2015 and 2017 respectively. They both attend St. Vincent Ferrer High School in NYC.

 

Q: How were you inspired to pursue a career in education?

A: I always wanted to teach. I struggled as a student when I was in elementary school. I think that makes me a better teacher now. I want all my students to feel special and know that they all have great potential. When a child is confident, they can achieve anything!

 

Q: Can you tell me about a fond memory you have had while teaching at the Epiphany School (ES)?

A: I have so many great memories and not just in the classroom, some from the school talent shows and spring musicals. In the classroom when you see a child learn something new in front of your eyes, it is so magical! Whether it is learning to read in K or how to share in TT's, I am blessed to have a job that I love so much!

 

Q: I know you have two daughters that have graduated from the ES. Why would recommend this school to another parent unfamiliar with ES?

A: Not only do I believe in Epiphany as an educator but also as a former parent. It is clearly a competitive school academically where my girls received a great education, but it is what they learned outside of academics that separate Epiphany from other schools. Epiphany helped my husband and I raise caring, kind and confident girls. They gained confidence in the arts through the school play and talent shows. Their first introductions to sports were at Epiphany and now, they are both on varsity high school teams. They learned how to better their public speaking abilities through Epiphany, which is a priceless gift they can use for the rest of their lives. Epiphany's community is special. When your child enters Epiphany, they are taken care of and shown love and respect! Most importantly, our Epiphany community stands by you through all good times and bad. Michael and I have made some of our closest friends through our children at Epiphany and my girls know that they always have a home here! The door is always open. It is a very special place.

 

Q: What are you looking forward to the most this school year?

A: This year and every year for Toddlers my goal is that they run in to school and can't wait to learn. I want their first experience in school to be a great one!